Cutler played well this year. He has the offensive weapons around him that can make him a great QB.

The problem with the Bears this year wasn't the offense. It was the defense.

Whenever you have a "historically bad" defense, with a team as old as the Bears, yeah, you aren't going to win a lot of games. They did not hold ANY team under 20 points this year. They gave up 31 points to the Browns!

FreakinB:Quick, name me a better replacement that the Bears would actually have a reasonable chance of acquiring.

/Any competent NFL starting QB is going to get a massive contract//Supply and demand.

But what about the POISE and LEADERSHIP of Josh McCown!? Why, he buried the vaunted Dallas Cowboys defense on national TV. Clearly he was better than Cutler. Here's a summary of the power house defenses McCown took down this year.

MBK:Cutler played well this year. He has the offensive weapons around him that can make him a great QB.

The problem with the Bears this year wasn't the offense. It was the defense.

Whenever you have a "historically bad" defense, with a team as old as the Bears, yeah, you aren't going to win a lot of games. They did not hold ANY team under 20 points this year. They gave up 31 points to the Browns!

Or new rules that make playing offense easier. There were a lot of historically bad defenses and great offenses this year which says more for the rule changes than it does for the players.

That being said the Bears' D was suck on ice bad this year and your point is still valid.

Cutler's had his up-and-downs, but all the people in Chicago who talk about how McCown would have the Bears in the Super Bowl this year and Cutler is the sole reason the Bears ever lose should not be the ones writing the headlines... Bears had nearly the worst D in the league, one of the top offenses in the league, and Cutler with his best year of his career, why do Chicago media people want to spend every summer and every cent on QBs? I don't care if we have Aaron Rodgers throwing to Randy Moss when Chris Conte has to field the defense.

Better ways to spend time and money this offseason than QB media circus drama. Cutler won't see those 7 years if Emery isn't satisfied, Emery seems ready to get things done at least.

Electromax:Cutler won't see those 7 years if Emery isn't satisfied, Emery seems ready to get things done at least.

Can you name any 37-year-old big-money-and-worth-it QBs? Because that's what Cutler would be in Year 7 of this deal, and at $54M guaranteed, that's a HEAP of coin for the 2019-2020 seasons. I think they're hoping the O-line stays shiatty enough to kill him sometime in Year 4 (I mean, we do all know that the Contract Year and sometimes, the Contract Year-1 numbers are renegotiated in a new deal, yes?) or he retires.

// also, this is a deal almost as big as Flacco's and for a QB that is in every way worse than Joey Eyebrow

Electromax:Cutler's had his up-and-downs, but all the people in Chicago who talk about how McCown would have the Bears in the Super Bowl this year and Cutler is the sole reason the Bears ever lose should not be the ones writing the headlines... Bears had nearly the worst D in the league, one of the top offenses in the league, and Cutler with his best year of his career, why do Chicago media people want to spend every summer and every cent on QBs? I don't care if we have Aaron Rodgers throwing to Randy Moss when Chris Conte has to field the defense.

Better ways to spend time and money this offseason than QB media circus drama. Cutler won't see those 7 years if Emery isn't satisfied, Emery seems ready to get things done at least.

I remember watching Philly fans go through the last decade constantly complaining that McNabb was their weakness and citing the odd Kolb game as clear evidence that McNabb should be replaced while I sat in Chicago watching an endless parade of Peter Tom Mirers and Kordell Kriegs. I thought that Bears fans would never be so short-sighted if the Bears ever had a competent QB.

Rapmaster2000:Here's a summary of the power house defenses McCown took down this year.

In 5 out of 6, he outperformed the passer rating against, so that's a pretty good showing. He also posted a 3-3 record to match Jay's 5-5 record. They both look like solid quarterbacks, but neither is going to give you that next level of play, and neither is worth $18 million/year.

Honest question, since I didn't watch too many Bears games this year; does their defense have any young guys worth keeping and building around? On paper there's still a lot of old, declining stars and what to me looks like "meh" replacements when they got hurt.

Killer Cars:Honest question, since I didn't watch too many Bears games this year; does their defense have any young guys worth keeping and building around? On paper there's still a lot of old, declining stars and what to me looks like "meh" replacements when they got hurt.

I saw a Defensive line. I saw a Defensive backfield. I also saw random people between them running slower than grandma and disappearing about 1 second into each play.

I like to bag on Quitler, but he is one of the top "next tier" guys after Rodgers, Brees, P. Manning, and Brady. The Bears could certainly do worse. That being said, he does like to lose Packers games in some really creative ways, and for that, keep smokin down south, good buddy.

Killer Cars:Honest question, since I didn't watch too many Bears games this year; does their defense have any young guys worth keeping and building around? On paper there's still a lot of old, declining stars and what to me looks like "meh" replacements when they got hurt.

The Bears have a really old defense, and their two young safeties are terrible. We're looking at a total teardown, all the way to the studs. Pun not intended.

Rapmaster2000:And Rodgers wasn't clearly better than Flynn before teams acquired a catalog of tape on Flynn. This is the story of backups. It's why Tebow the winner that just wins games isn't in the league anymore.

roc6783:I like to bag on Quitler, but he is one of the top "next tier" guys after Rodgers, Brees, P. Manning, and Brady. The Bears could certainly do worse. That being said, he does like to lose Packers games in some really creative ways, and for that, keep smokin down south, good buddy.

I think this is a good signing also. For all his faults, he's still the best QB they would've likely been able to get their hands on. But I know plenty of Bears fans who would rather sweep the Packers and go 2-14 than lose both games but still make the playoffs.

Dr Dreidel:Electromax: Cutler won't see those 7 years if Emery isn't satisfied, Emery seems ready to get things done at least.

Can you name any 37-year-old big-money-and-worth-it QBs? Because that's what Cutler would be in Year 7 of this deal, and at $54M guaranteed, that's a HEAP of coin for the 2019-2020 seasons. I think they're hoping the O-line stays shiatty enough to kill him sometime in Year 4 (I mean, we do all know that the Contract Year and sometimes, the Contract Year-1 numbers are renegotiated in a new deal, yes?) or he retires.

// also, this is a deal almost as big as Flacco's and for a QB that is in every way worse than Joey Eyebrow

The O-line was drastically (nigh unbelievably, to me) improved over the 2010-2012 lines. Especially with Marshall and now Jeffrey taking some pressure off Forte, I hope the days of 9-sack first halves are gone for a couple years.

Also Cutler > Flacco in entertainment value, on the field or at the press table.

Dr Dreidel:Electromax: Cutler won't see those 7 years if Emery isn't satisfied, Emery seems ready to get things done at least.

Can you name any 37-year-old big-money-and-worth-it QBs? Because that's what Cutler would be in Year 7 of this deal, and at $54M guaranteed, that's a HEAP of coin for the 2019-2020 seasons. I think they're hoping the O-line stays shiatty enough to kill him sometime in Year 4 (I mean, we do all know that the Contract Year and sometimes, the Contract Year-1 numbers are renegotiated in a new deal, yes?) or he retires.

// also, this is a deal almost as big as Flacco's and for a QB that is in every way worse than Joey Eyebrow

Manning, Favre, Cunningham. Barring career enders, Brees (2-3 years) and Brady (1 year) are likely to be there soon.

That said, he'll either be retired or renegotiated by the end of that contract. If it was more than an after thought right now I'd be surprised.

That said, he'll either be retired or renegotiated by the end of that contract.

Of course, there's a pretty huge drop-off from those guys to Cutler.

Which was my point. Also that there have been like 5 in the history of the game (and Favre is stretching it a bit. That last season he was awful IIRC).

Favre had some rough patches around 36/37 but he also had a 109 QB rating as a 40 year old. Outside of the 1998 season with Moss and Carter, Cunningham was generally worse than Cutler has performed after he turned 28/29. Favre just lost it in his last season. He Delhommed.